my disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or any other LM characters. I don't own any of the schools, websites, books, etc. that may be mentioned in this story. I don't even really own the idea for this story…got that from a paragraph in a Madeleine L'Engle book…I only own Brenna and Dr. Hensen.
Ok, I've got a couple of apologies to make. First off, since I'm not pre-med and have no intention of going to med school, I have very little idea of how the whole applying thing works. Sorry. So, I've recently been informed of a couple important details by my roommate, who is pre-med. Thanks Shee! So, apparently, the whole application is an online, communal application, so you only fill it out once and it goes to all the schools you apply to. Nifty.
Second, I know it's been over a month since I've updated this story…I'm sorry again. All I have to offer is a bunch of lame excuses for why…writer's block, midterm exams, roommate crises, and a mid-life crisis all make an appearance. But(!), I've gotten over my writer's block, and (hopefully) figured out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life, so that's two things down…so I promise I'll try to be better about updating and also about reviewing all the fabulous stories.
Third, I'm sorry for the cheesy L/Gness in this chapter. I had to do it, but the problem with writing fluff or romance is I've got very little decent stuff to base it on. If I based it off of my life, Gordo would either be a big fat tool or a college drop out/used-car salesman…I don't think so. So, if you hate it, close your eyes, it's only a few bits.
As always, I would love to hear what y'all think so far, so click the review button for me! Thanks!
Without further adieu…on to Chapter Seven…
Three days later, Lizzie was sitting at in her room at home, working intensely on her new essay for her applications. She had taken Dr. Hensen's advice about using her mother's illness as motivation and decided to make that known to the schools she was applying to. Lizzie was still frightened to death of being a failure as a doctor, but decided to spend more of her time actually working on the application process, rather than dreading it. The early application deadline for Stanford was fast approaching, but with her new found motivation, Lizzie had no trouble believing she'd get the forms in on time. All she was waiting for was her MCAT scores and a letter of recommendation from the veterinarian Lizzie had worked with when she was still pre-vet. Lizzie had spoken with the clinic the other day and had confirmed that her letter was on its way, along with the MCAT scores Brenna had mailed to her. Lizzie was expecting them any day now.
Over the sound of her computer keyboard, Lizzie heard the front door open and the sound of voices floated up the stairs.
"Lizzie, we're home!" Lizzie's mother called. She and Lizzie's father had just returned home from the hospital and another dialysis treatment.
"Hi!" Lizzie called back. "I'm working on my essays!" She added, which her family now knew as code for 'Don't disturb me unless it's really important."
"Okay." Her father called back up the stairs. "You've got some mail down here, and a surprise. I'll send them both up."
At his words, Lizzie felt her stomach drop. That mail was most likely her MCAT scores. She wasn't sure she wanted to see them anymore. What if she had failed? Lizzie shook her head, you can't fail the MCAT. Well, feasibly you could, she supposed, but you'd have to do really badly. And Lizzie knew she couldn't have done that badly, she and Brenna had spent over six months studying hard for the test.
A knock on her bedroom door let Lizzie know that whoever was carrying her test scores had arrived. Expecting either her mother, who would want to know every little detail of the letter and would probably cry no matter how Lizzie did, or Matt, who would want to stay and be nosy and find out her exact scores, Lizzie called, "Come in," without looking up from her computer. She figured she could act busy and then open it later when there was no one around and a little less pressure.
Lizzie heard her bedroom door open and nothing else. Confused, she turned toward the doorway, instantly recognizing the dark curls and boyish grin on the figure standing in her doorway.
"Gordo!" She shrieked, bolting from her chair towards him. Gordo laughed and steadied himself as Lizzie threw her arms around him.
"It's good to see you too." He told Lizzie, wrapping her arms around her and refusing to let her go for several minutes.
When Gordo finally let her go, Lizzie took a step back and looked at him. He looked the same as he always had, but maybe a little older and his hair was a little lighter from the Australian sun. But his face at the moment was full of concern, a worried glint in his eyes.
"How are you doing?" He asked, seriously, sitting down on Lizzie's bed. Lizzie perched on her desk chair, facing Gordo and considered the question.
"Better." She answered honestly. "But what are you doing here?" She asked, forgetting about all her problems at the moment. "I though you had several weeks of work left to do."
"That was a couple of weeks ago." Gordo replied, grinning. "But everyone managed to get their butts in gear for the last few weeks and we were able wrap shooting early. Then Peter decided that most of the post-production stuff needed to be done in L.A., so I'm back!" He shot his characteristic grin and her, but his face quickly sobered. "Plus I was worried about you, so I was thinking about coming back early anyway. So, seriously now, how are you holding up?" He asked, reaching over and taking hold of her hands.
Lizzie sighed. "I'm not really sure." She laughed. "Everything just goes back and forth…one day will be fine and the next, I'll start losing it again."
Gordo nodded, understanding. "What about your mom? How's she doing?"
"She's doing okay, I think. She's constantly tired, but that's to be expected. She's on a waiting list for a kidney and she's getting dialysis treatments until then, but it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. I think she tries to put up a front for me and Matt."
Gordo nodded again. "She seemed..." he paused, searching for words, "almost normal. She was just a friendly as ever, asked me how I was doing and how I liked Australia and how my parents were."
"She is pretty much the same." Lizzie agreed. "She still tries to take care of everything when she can and she still yells at me and Matt when we do something dumb, like leaving our stuff by the front door."
"She invited me to stay for dinner, I hope that's okay."
Lizzie nodded, grinning. She couldn't think of anything she'd like better right now. "I'm glad you're back." She told Gordo.
Gordo reached over and put his arm around her. "Me too."